The second instalment of The Sound of the City and the same format as last week namely three songs which have never featured here before and one act making their debut.
The act making their debut are probably the first punk band namely The Damned. I must admit I'm pretty gobsmacked that they haven't graced these pages before. Note to self I must get round to posting New Rose and Neat Neat Neat which are better than Love Song which is still a pretty good number.
Then we hit some technical problems as the next two song are the first two on side 2 and a handily places scratch was causing some problems.
Therefore for the first of the two Hanging Around by the Stranglers I've had to resort to burning a copy from the Rattus Norvegicus CD. They always struck me as a band who jumped on the New Wave band wagon. I mean what other band around then featured an organ or had a song which lasted for over 4 minutes for goodness sake.
No danger of an organ featuring on a Sham 69 record or of it lasting over 4 minutes. A band who attracted an unhealthy following through no fault of their own they were probably not that musically gifted but recorded some glorious anthemic shouty songs. I would put If The Kids are United fourth in line behind Hersham Boys, Hurry Up Harry and Borstal Breakout.
The final three next week
The Stranglers - Hanging Around
Sham 69 - If the Kids Are United
Wondering if you anyone else watched it as Sky Arts showed the Damned documentary film 'Don't You Wish We Were Dead' recently, very interesting (amazed to discover that they first formed around '75!)
ReplyDeleteAll today's songs very evocative for me too.
Missed that- sounds like a good watch
ReplyDeleteI went to see Sham upstairs in the Glasgow Apollo back in the day and then in the Apollo maybe a year later. Obviously I didn't learn my lesson.
ReplyDeleteJamie
Stranglers as band wagon jumpers. Possibly, but they were pimped full of attitude. JJ Burnel was a Martail Arts master, Dave Greenfield had the finest tache in new wave, and Hugh Cornwell used to be in a band with Richard Thompson. And if you needed an ice cream, Jet Black was your man.
ReplyDeleteSaw The Stranglers a couple of years ago (no Jet Black though, who is now about 126) - Dave Greenfield would play keyboard solos with one hand whilst necking bottles of Peroni
"I wish the Damned has spent their name that way," a pendant writes.
ReplyDeleteKeeping me on my toes ... again
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